Make a Boat Shape - Going 3D

Tonight I went from two dimensional sheets of plywood to three dimensional boat. Em came out and helped me move the bottom out of the way that I had splice together, and then helped me get my two side pieces into position. I think it's safe to say that the whole process outlined below would go easier with two people. I stacked my side pieces to drill the holes for the transom and the bow stiching. I used zip ties for the stiches. I had these extremely long zip ties, and I was kind of irritated I couldn't find my huge bin of smaller zip ties. But I think the longer ties gave me some flexibility especially with the transom.

So basically I stacked the two side pieces which are about 21 feet long. I was very happy with the symmetry of the two pieces. They were as identical as someone as impatient and at times lacking attention to detail as I do can hope for so I drilled my holes.






Then I stiched my pieces together with my zip ties

This is where things start to get a little bit complicated if you are me. Because I'm by myself in the barn with two 21 foot long 6mm thick pieces of plywood trying to stand them up on edge and get the ends apart so I can get the transome in. It wasn't graceful. I had this image of hitting the record button on the camera and taking a video of myself transforming these flat pieces of wood into a boat in living color...but the video didn't come out, and it was probably good because I looked way more than silly battling these huge sections of wood as they tipped and bent all around completely outside my control.

So all in all I found that if I used a zip tie to connect the transom to one side and then leaned the whole thing against the table while I pushed the other side out, I could swing the transome in and thread another tie through the other side. It was touch and go while I tried to get some of the frames in, the weight of the sides never reall held them in place, so I used some small screws to hold them in place.

The frames are not quite in the right place, but I think if I get the third frame in and get another set of hands, I can start to put in the longitudinal frames and dagger board trunk next.

There are a few materials I need to get first, like a stack of 1x1/2 in pine cleats to stiffen some of the longidudinal frames. It will be interesting if nothing else.

At least now it looks (kind of) like a boat even if it's upside down.

The Splice

I've made good progress lately. We've had a few very warm days for March. Yesterday was in the range of 75 degrees. So I got out the fiberglass and epoxy and tried to make good use of the weather. The fiberglass joints seem very week until you get both sides done. I found flipping the long side pieces over to be difficult by myself. In the end it seemed the best way to do it is to kind of splint the joint with extra plywood and a couple clamps to give it some extra stiffness while I flipped. I have the dagger box 2/3 done and now the temperature is down in the 40's so I'm done with the epoxy for now....have the kerosene heater on on the barn.

St. Paddy's Day

Today is St. Paddy's day, my favorite holiday tied with Thanksgiving. No real work on the boat. Green beer and wings at Chicago Dogs, and then home to find most of my fiberglass and application tools etc. on the porch. All this, ten sheets of plywood and paint will - I hope - one day be a boat.

Before I Could Sail

Before I could sail, I want on a sailing trip. That's one the that really inspired this boat from the beginning. Florida, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic. I miss the boat days. Especially in February

and March in Maine. So one of the things that keeps me going on the boat and on cold days in February and March is the way those days felt.

Every New Beginning

So after the canoe, which started fast and finished slow, it took me a while to get started on the CK17. Getting out and buying the first sheet of plywood was the key. Here in Portland Maine the place to for the elusive marine grade plywood seems to be Maine Coast Lumber.

Once I got some wood and started cutting I got back in the groove and I've been on a roll ever since. Right now I have just about everything cut out. A dagger board, lifting floor and a couple pieces of the rudder are all that are left.

So for a couple three weeks its been all about the measuring, remeasuring and cutting.

I got metric plans - and I like them - no fractions.

My trusty Craftsman 3" circular trim saw is my best friend. I can cut a decent line and a fair curve with it.

I think I must read through all the plans and instructions at least a couple times a week and I think I see something new each time, or come up with a question for the forum. I've not had to ask a question yet, but there are lots of answers already there.

Of the parts I have a healthy respect/fear for - I'd say the dagger trunk is at the top of the list. It's cut and kind of mocked up, but it sits in the corner mocking me until I need to deal with it.

I have a couple helpers but the quiet one was out there tonight

In The Beginning

First there was a sailing trip, and a return home, and time on land with no boats, and then a motor boat. But over time I started to miss the sailboat. Then a friend of mine acted as a care taker on Jewell Island one of the Maine island Trail islands.


I went out there in the motor boat, but I started thinking about getting back under sail. My wife as a result of the first sailing trip mentioned above - hates sail boats to some degree. But she'll get over it. I put the Island Trail together in my head with a sailboat, my son (some day),and some sea based camping.

So in the end, I wanted a boat, and I wanted the perfect boat for camping on the Island Trail and sheltered Maine waters. I wanted something to do as a creative outlet. So I decided to build a sailboat after seeing some of the "stich and glue" boat plans at http://www.bateau.com/. But I'm not a woodworker, and I'm bad at taking accurate measurements, and I sometimes don't have alot of patience. So I decided to do an experiment first and build a basic canoe. It was made from two sheets of plywood and some fir strapping - epoxy, fiberglass etc.

I learned that I might actually be able to pull of a bigger boat. I made mistakes, but I learned alot and I think the canoe will actually float.


So this is where the beginning ends and the next stage - the Cat Ketch 17 (CK17) begins.